So Let's Set This World on Fire
by cavlik97
Summary: He knows she's going to hate the fact that he's staring - no, gazing - but he can't help himself. She's so gorgeous when she's asleep.


**A/N: Quick, slightly fluffy/funny Salex one-shot.**

He knows she's going to hate it but he can't help himself. She's so gorgeous when she's asleep. Her hair has grown quite a bit since she cut it last year, he notices. It's not straightened...falling over her bare shoulders, naturally curly. He loves it like that. Her hair's falling dominantly over one shoulder, revealing the intricate butterfly tattooed onto her neck. Sean smiles as he runs his eyes over it but it fades when his eye catches something else. There's a growing bruise shadowing her right shoulder, where her bullet wound still hasn't healed completely. He can see she's been pushing herself to get back in the field and it obviously hasn't aided her recovery, the first edge of the downward spiral being the mission to retrieve the cryptograph where one of Amanda's men got the upper hand on her. Sean sighs, gently brushing his hand across her shoulder, holding his breath at her wince in her sleep. Alex stirs and Sean gently brushes her hair away from her face, kissing her forehead softly. She smiles despite her unconsciousness, drifting back into a deep slumber. Sean carefully lifts the duvet from the end of the bed and places it over the sheet that is covering Alex's lower back. She curls up underneath the feather filled blanket as Sean slips out of bed without waking her. He pulls on the t-shirt and jeans that are tossed on a chair in the corner of the room, tiptoeing out of the room until he gets to the what he had imagined was empty, operations room.

'Nikita,' he says in surprise. 'I – what are you doing here? I thought...'

'Alex isn't the only one staying in Division at the moment,' says Nikita in explanation, glancing away from the screens in front of them to face Sean. 'We have too much going on. We don't exactly have separate lives from catching the dirty thirty anymore so there's no point in commuting.'

'Shouldn't you and Michael be in recently engaged bliss?' teases Sean, relieved to have Nikita's eyes twinkle and she laughs.

'With our situation? What, are you kidding?' She frowns suddenly. 'Hang on. What are _you _doing here? I haven't seen you in a week and it's almost two in the morni –' She stops abruptly, one eyebrow shooting up and she folds her arms to survey him up and down. Sean can't help but stand there, hands in his pockets, hovering awkwardly like a guilty teenager. Nikita doesn't say anything for a while...until she finally returns her attention to the screens and says simply 'Don't hurt her.'

Sean nods, moving to stand beside Nikita to take in the information that is being displayed.

'I won't,' he promises, hesitating before adding 'I love her.'

He swears he can see a small smile briefly cross Nikita's face but it's gone in a second. On the screens is just another profile of another one of the dirty thirty. He feels that this one hits Nikita close to home – he doesn't know how though – so makes the decision to give her some space. Just as he's about to leave, he hears her murmur something.

'I know,' she says softly.

'Know what?'

'That you love her. I can see it.'

Sean doesn't know what to reply to that so he just nods again, quietly making his way down the stairs to return to the bedroom.

– **() – **

'I thought you'd risked the walk of shame.'

'You really think that low of me?' Sean flops back down on the bed, rolling onto his side to face Alex, who is now half awake. She's gingerly lying on her side so that there isn't too much pressure on her shoulder so Sean moves his pillow so she can use them to prop herself up.

She shakes her head in answer to his question, gracing him with a small smile. 'No, I don't think that low of you,' she assures. 'I figured you were somewhere around.'

'I ran into Nikita,' informed Sean. 'She guessed why I was here. If she had a test on whether I was good enough a boyfriend for you or not, I apparently passed it.'

'What would you have done if you hadn't?' grins Alex.

'Nothing,' Sean shrugs back, closing the gap between them to kiss her gently.

'Why are you being so reclusive?' she demands when he pulls away almost immediately, trying to avoid hurting her shoulder. He sighs, nodding towards her injury. She glances down at it, shaking away the hair that is covering the purpling bruise on her shoulder and the scar underneath the end of her collarbone.

'You aren't letting it heal,' says Sean with a shake of his head. 'It's only going to get worse.'

'What am I supposed to do?' Alex shoots back. 'Sit around on my ass while everyone else puts their lives on the line while trying to catch the rogue agents? I'll be useless.'

'It's better than you being dead or injuring yourself so badly that something permanently damaging happens to your shoulder.'

Alex sits up properly, crossing her legs and letting the duvet fall from around her and rest on her knee.

'Why are you so hung up on this?' she asks, reaching out to run her fingers through his ruffled, scruffy hair.

'Because I'm scared,' answered Sean, gazing up at her. 'Scared that one day, someone's gonna call me with the worst news I can get. I've already lost my mom, Alex and over the last month, I've already gotten calls saying that you were shot, somewhere inside Division has blown up or been infiltrated _twice _while you were inside and then, a call from Nikita saying that you'd relapsed.'

Alex looks away at that, swallowing.

Sean leans forward, turning her chin so that she was looking him in the eyes. 'I don't want to have to get one more phone call, saying that you're dead, Alex. I _can't._'

'You won't,' Alex says firmly. 'After everything I've lived through, I'm going to make sure I make it far enough to live a proper life, Sean. I think it's what we all deserve. That's what we're fighting for after all, isn't it?'

'Yeah,' Sean agrees. 'But for me...just for a while...can you please take it easy?'

'As long as I have you roped into babysitting me while I sit here pointlessly, listening to Birkhoff ramble.'

'_What_? Are you saying that because you can't go into the field, neither can I?'

'What's mine is yours.'

'I hate you.'

'I love you too.'

'I can't believe I'm signing myself off to days on end listening to Birkhoff for you.'

'I can't believe I'm sacrificing my time being badass in the field for you.'

'Oh, true love.'

'Oh, if the shoe fits.'

'How does that apply to this context in any way?'

'I honestly don't know.'

'You're an ass.'

'You're so mean to me.'

'Oh my God, stop sulking. Don't walk out of here – come back to bed.'

'Are you begging?'

'Shut up, Shipwreck.'

'Be nice, Princess.'

'I need to sleep.'

'You were looking pretty cute while you were sleeping before.'

'You were watching me?'

'...No.'

'Creep.'

'Adoring boyfriend.'

'Was I drooling?'

'Nope.'

'Was I sleeptalking?'

'You looked _gorgeous. _Now be quiet, you said you wanted sleep.'

Alex cuddles into the pillow as she relaxes under the blankets, eyeing Sean thoughtfully.

'I do love you Sean,' she whispers.

'I know,' he smiles, kissing the tip of her nose, suddenly reminded of Nikita's words. 'I can tell.'

**A/N: I feel bad for being way too busy to write another chapter of Roommates (which will probably be written tomorrow now that I've finished ALL MY EXAMS) so here's a oneshot instead.**


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